Wow I am not sure anyone can begin to fathom the amazing pool of women we have in Steamboat Springs. Tonight we had over 50 women from various socio-economic backgrounds; work areas and skill levels attend our Steamboat Ski and Bike Kare Women’s Group Ride for Steamboat Bike Week. It was a phenomenal turn out. But we have been getting between 20-40 women each week for the past few years because the women in this town have needed more than just a weekend ride with their husbands and boyfriends. They need other girls. Tonight I met a woman on her second mountain bike ride who crushed the technical rock section because she didn’t know she was supposed to be afraid. I met another who was on a bike two sizes too small covered in bruises with a huge smile on her face because she was beginning ... [Continue Reading]
Stop and Smell the Roses
Have you ever gone out on a bike ride in Steamboat or around Routt County and smelt the roses? I mean really taken a big whiff of what the countryside has to offer our olfactory senses. Well have you? As you know I am usually writing these blogs, in my head, while on a bike ride and during one of my many wet (see last week’s blog) road rides I started looking around at the beautiful scenery the Yampa valley has to offer, and then inhaling some of the delightful, pungent and teasing fragrances to be found. One of my favourite memories as a kid was the smell of a recent downpour on the sizzling, hot black top. Thinking about it now excites me in preparation for the up coming summer where all of the Emerald Mountain’s single-track trails are open, the downtown farmer’s market ... [Continue Reading]
Gravity Guy’s Spontaneous Spring
This time of year in Steamboat is a rollercoaster for me… One day it can be unleashing the most epic snow storm you’ve ever seen and the next it could be 70* and you’re fishing or burning up the tarmac on two wheels. It's because of this exact variability that I avidly follow my moto of “play to the conditions”. Though some like to fully commit to one sport between summer and winter, I prefer to make the most of each weekend by highlighting what the conditions and weather are providing. This past month I had a three-day weekend that I was proud of and I think highlights the diversity of recreational opportunities this time of the year in Colorado. The mountains are still packed with snow but you have warm days and venturing to lower elevations you'll easily find dry dirt. Knowing this, ... [Continue Reading]
The 2-Wheel Adventures of Gravity Guy
No matter who you are or where you come from, I guarantee wheels are a daily part of your life. So at some level it could be said that, by association, you have an inherent appreciation for the bicycle. Possibly one of the most exquisite exploitations of this simple machine - having been described as “our most noble invention”. “The bike is simply circles turning circles”. Both quotes from one of my favorite mountain bike movies of all time, “Life Cycles”. And it’s certainly true… from an engineering standpoint the wheel is one of the most simple but efficient machines ever discovered. Personally I’m very grateful to live during this time in history where the virtues of “the wheel” allow incredible conveniences and recreational opportunities in our daily lives. Whether it’s a simple ... [Continue Reading]